This month we took a huge step fowards in one of the biggest remaining areas of the game - contraband. Almost every room in the game is now a source of dangerous contraband which prisoners can (and will) steal whilst your back is turned. Workshops used to be a source of near unlimited funds - now they are also a source of hammers, screwdrivers, and electric drills. Medicines from the medical wards, knifes from the kitchen, even booze and cigs from the administrators office. Everything is up for grabs for your light fingered inmates, and those nice visiting relatives can now smuggle in virtually anything for their loved ones. Inmates will smuggle their stolen gear back to their cell, taking care to avoid metal detectors where appropriate, and will stash their shit anywhere they can. You might search an inmate at Yard time and find nothing, but he could have a whole armoury waiting for him back in his cell.

The are four categories of contraband, but many different variants within each category:

- Weapons are a commonly stolen item, especially in dangerous prisons where fights are common. You wont see it until its too late and there are bodies on the floor.

- Tools typically come from the workshop or storage rooms, and will be used to dig escape tunnels in a future alpha

- Narcotics are a commonly desired item for many bored prisoners and will eventually lead to addictions and erratic behaviour

- Luxuries includes anything that makes prison life a little more bearable: a bottle of booze to pass the time, or a mobile phone to call loved ones

There is a new Contraband button in the main toolbar which shows an overlay of all possible sources of contraband within your prison. It also handily tells you which categories each item falls into. Some particularly useful items fall into multiple categories: A screwdriver is a tool but can also double as a weapon.

Battle SpritesBattle Sprites are new combat companions that all players can acquire by completing a new series of Rank 2 missions upon reaching Haven. These missions teach players about Battle Sprites and allow them to try out each of the three starter sprites before ultimately choosing one to keep.The three starter Battle Sprites are the fiery Drakon, the divine Seraphinx, and the shadowy Maskeraith; each with their own unique powers that will become more powerful as the sprite levels up and evolves! Just remember to feed them materials or food crafted from the Lab so your sprite can level up faster, evolve and gain new skills.You can read the original Battle Sprite announcement here.More information on Battle Sprite Skills can be found here and here.Additional Battle Sprite Info:- Battle sprites acquire perks at most levels. Perks are selected randomly.- Battle sprites can continue to acquire perks after reaching level 100.- Battle sprite skill points and ultimate skill choice can be reset with an item called a Reset Star. Reset Stars are sold in the Supply Depot. When using a Reset Star, a sprites level is retained.

The LabThe Biotechs of the Spiral Knights have finally got the Lab up and running! Head on over to the Haven Garrison and learn more about Battle Sprites and what the Spiral Knights have discovered about the world of Cradle. The Lab also includes an ensemble of NPCs related to Battle Sprites:- Biotech Morlin teaches you about sprite skills, perks, harnesses, and leveling- Biscotti explains how to feed and care for Battle Sprites- A special alchemy machine next to Biscotti allows you to craft favored sprite food from materials and minerals- Riley sells harnesses for Battle Sprites that change their damage types

Energy Changes- Elevators no longer require any energy to operate. Explore the Clockworks as much and as often as you wish!- Elevator passes are no longer for sale- Player-owned Elevator Passes have been replaced with 10 Radiant Fire Crystals and energy deposited into the player's account at a conversion rate of 2625 energy for each month of time left on your energy pass, rounded up.- Mist energy and mist tank items have been removed- Player-owned mist tanks have been replaced with 10 Sparks of Life (bound)- Player-owned mini mist tanks have been replaced with 1 Spark of Life (bound)- Crystal Energy is now simply called Energy- Mist Wells have been renamed 'Energy Wells' and no longer provide a 25% bonus on deposit.- Mist within Mist Wells has been converted to energy and may be withdrawn at 100 energy per day

New Revive System- All knights now have an Emergency Revive mechanism built into their armor that will revive them shortly after falling in combat once per floor. An ER only restores all the red health pips you have, but no more.- If a knight is brought to an elevator dead, their ER will be instantly used at the start of the next floor.- After falling in combat without an ER, the primary means of reviving is no longer energy. Players must use a Spark of Life in order to revive in the Clockworks.- Sparks of Life can be earned via missions, found in treasure blocks or purchased in bulk at a discount price in the Supply Depot. Sparks of Life cannot be purchased from the Supply Depot while in the Clockworks.- If dead without a ER or Spark of Life, a Spark of Life can be activated for 50 energy. This price never escalates.- Removed the ability to revive by sharing health as well as any heat sharing from reviving. Players may still revive each other using Sparks of Life.- The old Spark of Life crafting material has been renamed to Storm Chaser

General Changes- Rescue Camp missions have reworked narrative hooks that will allow for exciting new missions in the future- Removed "Securing the Camp" mission- A knight explaining the Forge has been added to the Haven Town Square- A new class of items have been added, known as Rarities. Rarities include sparks of life, fire crystals, orbs of alchemy and evo catalysts.- There is no longer a crown fee for joining Arcade Gates.- New scenario rooms have been added.

Difficulty ModesPlayers may now choose one of three difficulty levels when taking on missions or expeditions:- Normal mode is intended for new players and is easier than what existing players may be used to. It features lower payouts for crowns and heat as well as lower drop rates for materials and rarities.- Advanced mode is intended for existing players and is roughly equivalent to what they may be used to. It features current payouts for crowns and heat as well as average drop rates for materials and rarities.- Elite mode is intended for players seeking a high level of challenge. It features the highest payouts for crowns and heat as well as the highest drop rates for materials and rarities.

Item Changes- Loot now drops for each member of a party and each party member must pick up their own loot. You now will earn the exact same amount of loot in a party as you do solo, so party up!- 2 star materials and higher now only drop from a specific monster family.- Removed decay timer for crowns and heat- Extended decay timer for hearts- Players can no longer drop vials and capsules they acquire in the Clockworks- Some rare monsters now have a chance to drop new items.- All missions have been updated with new mission rewards.New materials have been added. These include:- Spark Plug- Vile Seal- Sinful Brew- Dead Gold- Wicked Idol- Crest of Ur- Royal Skewer

Equip LimitsEquipping items is now limited by your Mission Rank:- Mission Rank of 3 is required to equip 2-star gear- Mission Rank of 5 is required to equip 3-star gear- Mission Rank of 6 is required to equip 4-star gear- Mission Rank of 8 is required to equip 5-star gearAny equipment bound before this patch will become your new current equip limit. For example. A knight who had only completed missions through Rank 3 but had 4 star gear equipped will be able to equip gear 4 star and below until achieving Rank 8.

UI Changes- Added three new quickslots to the HUD for Battle Sprite skills- Added a HUD icon for your Emergency Revive- Added a Get Energy button to the Supply Depot- Added a slider to the party configuration screen for adjusting difficulty- The star level indicator on an item pill will now turn red if an item exceeds your equip limit- Added a blue gem graphic to item pills that displays their bound status- Added The Forge, a new interface for leveling and enhancing items- Added new screen effect when damage is taken- Added a Battle Sprite tab to the character panel that includes skill details, perks, harnesses and the feeding tray- Achievements and Progress have been moved to a new Character Progress window available from the main menu

Alchemy ChangesEnergy is no longer required to use alchemy. A new type of item, Orbs of Alchemy, have replaced energy associated with alchemy. There are five orbs of alchemy in all:- Flawed Orb of Alchemy- Simple Orb of Alchemy- Advanced Orb of Alchemy- Elite Orb of Alchemy- Eternal Orb of AlchemyOrbs of alchemy may be purchased in unbound stacks from the Supply Depot, acquired via missions or as rare loot in treasure blocks.

The ForgeItems that acquire heat will no longer automatically level up when enough heat is required at the end of a level. Instead, a new type of item called Fire Crystals must be used within a new interface called The Forge in order to level up your items. Fire crystals include:- Cracked Fire Crystal- Dim Fire Crystal- Warm Fire Crystal- Glowing Fire Crystal- Shining Fire Crystal- Radiant Fire CrystalThe Forge can be accessed in town or at any arsenal station. When an item is ready to level up, open the Forge and select the item. The item will require a certain number of a specific fire crystal to level up. However, in some cases there is a chance the forge will not succeed and the fire crystals will be lost. No heat is ever lost due a failed forging.Additionally, players have the option to add more than the requisite fire crystals in order to improve the odds of a successful forge as well as the chance to gain a special bonus. These bonuses include:- Heat Bonus: +25% (one level)- Double Level Up!- Forge Prize Box containing a random assortment of various rarities and other items (prize box and contents are bound)Fire crystals may be purchased in stacks in the Supply Depot, acquired via missions or found as loot in treasure blocks.

Recipe ChangesA number of recipes have had their crafting requirements changed in order to better balance out the usage of both new and old materials.Rarity Distribution to Existing PlayersAll existing players have been sent rarities based on their current Mission Rank. Each player will receive exactly the total number of rarities they would have otherwise received from missions as of this update. All items are bound.

Energy Pack Changes- The Explorer's Pack is no longer available.- Any energy packs containing Mist Tanks have been replaced with 5 Sparks of Life per Mist Tank.- The Guardian's Armor Pack has had its Elevator Pass removed and replaced with energy.

DATAAdded: BTR-K Kamysh tracked IFVAdded: IFV-6c Panther tracked IFVAdded: BattlEye anti-cheat engine integrationAdded: Commander position for Marshall and KamyshCorrected position for optics and coaxial machinegun moved to correct place (AMV)Added clan sign support for many Beta vehiclesAdded: Various vehicles have adjusted items in inventoryFixed: Ifrit GMG now has 96 grenades instead of 64Fixed: Hunter GMG now has 96 grenades instead of 64Fixed: Strider GMG now has 96 grenades instead of 64Fixed: Bad glass sorting on StriderFixed: Tweaked AI driving skills with SpeedboatFixed: Lowered hit of 40mm HE grenades as they were too strong and MRAPs now uses magazines with 96 grenadesFixed: APC turrets now have more authentic vision modesFixed: Tweaked suspension of APCsFixed: Improved crew and cargo animations of APCsMore believable braking performance of Marshall and MaridRemotely controlled turrets on new APCs have no hatches (so crew cannot turn out from them)Adjusted lift force of xH-9, AH-99 and PO-30 helicoptersAdjusted collective of xH-9 family helicoptersAdjusted xH-9 family maneuverability around roll-axisMoved Blackfoot gunner optic view to correspond with PiPFixed: Destroyed parachute doesn't start to burnSupply parachutes now have correct colors per sidesFixed: Changed glass materials for CH-49 MohawkDaytime version of UH-80 is now listed as made by Bohemia InteractiveCopilot of the UH-80 now uses the cyclicFixed: Blurred tail rotor in cargo-viewTransport helicopters have means to detect incoming missilesHelicopters: added bodyFrictionCoef config parameterDoors should be openable by scripts for helicoptersImproved cockpit PiP monitorsAdded plain brown versions of Mk. 20 rifles (classes arifle_Mk20_plain_F, arifle_Mk20C_plain_F and arifle_Mk20_GL_plain_F)Added specialized collimator for SMGs (classes optic_ACO_grn, optic_aco_smg, and optic_Holosight_smg)Improved animations of Mk.20 rifleFixed: Iron sights now have 100 m increments (up to 600 m)Even holosight should have basic zeroing of 200 mFixed: Repaired AS map of MX rifle familyAdded some delay between throwing 'nadesFixed: Hammer of ACP-C2 is correctly readied to fireBetter cursor for laser designatorRevamped sound suppressor configurationCorrect name sound for Scalpel missilesFixed: String error after after shooting a smoke round from MX 3GLTweak: Cannons and Skyfire rockets AI engagement ranges and probabilitiesFixed: Showcase Infantry - Undefined variable error when engaging the spottersFixed: Showcase Infantry - No artillery rounds were hitting the village at the end of the missionShowcase Helicopters: Radio issues fixed - some conversations were not playing because using wrong channelsShowcase Helicopters: Ambient animations added to starting location and Camp RogainShowcase Helicopters: Problem with mission not ending when helicopter crashed into water fixedShowcase Vehicles: Various tweaks: more sunlight, exfil task position, player can get in the boat before his driver nowFixed: Showcase Supports - Mission should end a bit sooner nowAdded: BIS_fnc_log and BIS_fnc_error now display player's profile nameAdded: Sector module - creates a contested sector, handles its capturing and map visualizationAdded: Respawn Position module - adds respawn point for specific side and unit / vehicle typeAdded: Vehicle Respawn module - set vehicle respawn, including customizable position, delay, notification, etc.Added: Additional military buildings can now be garrisoned by SitesAdded: When "ORBAT group" module is not synced to "Strategic Map" module, the icon will be displayed on the main map insteadAdded: "Defend" mission type (used for example in "Defend Kamino") is now using unified sectors. Mission ends when enemy side holds all sectors on the map.Added: functionPriority entry for module logics. It's now possible to set order in which modules are initialized. The higher the value is, the later the module function is executed.Added: When player joins to a mission with MenuPosition respawn template, he'll be moved to the latest, not random respawn.Added: CfgNotifications classes now supports soundRadio entry; these are radio sentences played by HQ (created by "Headquarters Entity" module).Fixed: Disabled vehicles were not respawningFixed: Script error messages caused by Supports module (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=11326)Fixed undefined variable errors when using BIS_fnc_UnitPlayFixed: In module setup preview, optional connections appeared transparent. However, the transparent line looked a bit like grouping line. Now only the icon remain transparent to prevent this issue.Fixed: Main menu script errorFixed: After JIP, persistent functions were sometimes executed before mission objects were created.Firing Drills: Targets would not deactivate when leaving Competitive CPsFiring Drills: FM records with introduction, rules and tips addedFiring Drills: bonus & penalty logic between Training and Competitive made consistentFiring Drills: first version of PiP feedback added for long-range accuracy targetsFiring Drills: There could be a doubled icon next to previous timesFiring Drills: Final times were not colored correctly in all casesFiring Drills: The main task is now completed when ending the challengeFixed: undefined variable in CoF: BlueFixed: undefined variable in CoF: GreenChanged: Titan used instead of RPG-42 in Showcase SCUBAImproved: Script initialization on the mission start. Functions, modules and automatic scripts are now executed on the correct orderFixed: BIS_fnc_selectRandom no longer shows a scripting error when an empty array was passed as argumentFind more documentation on modules and other design topics hereAdded: Vertical position of map in loading screen is now randomized, adding some variety to itFixed: Broken drawing of comboboxes in date modulesFixed: Wrong column widths in the Multiplayer display with some UI sizeFixed: MP display errorRadio Protocol: Targeting and Reporting tweaks and fixes (distances, probabilities, etc.)Radio Protocol: Missing words fixed for several protocolsAdded: New attenuation effect for interiors of vehicles correctly dampens the outside noise (e.g. from weapons)Added: Noise sounds for APCsFixed: Sounds of some vehicles have their file paths changed to correct onesBetter sound for smoke launchersLamps have better emissive materialRoadcone and Roadbarrier lights are now operationalAdded loading screen environment triviaFixed: Tweaked fog on horizon and clouds (removed visible transitions for some fog settings)Fixed: Ambient light is now correctly affected by moon and stars intensityFixed: Sunken fuel station on StratisSprinting left and right while standing allows for quick drop to adjusted left and right urban prone positions (use prone key while sprinting sideways)Adjusted poses received boost to fluencyImproved responsiveness of stance changingAdded: Korean, Japanese and Cyrillic symbols to fontsFixed: AI ability to track enemy that is not visibleFixed: Adjusted content of ammunition and weapon cratesRestructured grouping of editor objects and renamed object editor categoriesNew control presetsHiding in the grass now affects AI better (configuration on Stratis surface types done)Adjusted visibility and audibility of fire for AIMany small objects and furniture are now PhysX-simulated when spawned in editor / via scriptNote: You may see some of the faction names have started to change from their generic color names. Nothing to worry about. We'll introduce them properly when we're ready for it :-)

ENGINEThe game will now report undefined variables in scripts as an error, hopefully motivating fixes in these scripts, and better scripts in the long-term.Fixed: SMAA Post-ProcessFixed: Small performance tweak in rotation blur Post ProcessFixed: Flash suppressor changed sound of underbarrel grenade launchersFixed: Some cases of sliding playersRemoved sensitivity smoothing for aiming deadzoneHelicopters: main rotor collision addedHelicopters: startDuration config parameter addedAdded: mainBladeCenter and mainBladeRadius for all helicoptersAdded: liftForceCoef, cyclicAsideForceCoef and cyclicForwardForceCoef config parameters for helicoptersHelicopters: autorotation tweaks, barrel roll tweaksAdded: added allowAgainstInfantry ammo config parameterNVGs are hidden inside vehicles, and this can be configured per positionAdded: New parameters for particles created by scriptFixed: Scripting command tvSetDataAdded: Error message when trying to pass Array in Array as parameter for tree commandsFixed: Tank shells now have visible tracerFixed: Freelook not turning the whole player anymoreFixed: Inconsistent land shadow segments while switching landscapesFixed: Broken parallax mapping on the terrain in some placesGPU benchmark should not cause "driver not responding" conditions anymoreInstancing now takes craters into accountChanged: Particles quality is set to Standard instead of Low when Overall quality is set to StandardStance indicator fades in / out when changing stancesFixed: AI ballistic calculationFixed: AI now can shoot over animalsFixed: AI now consider proper muzzle direction for rocket launchersAI shouldn't take unguided missiles as guidedAI shouldn't use rockets against infantry that muchAI ballistic calculation improved for unguided rocketsAI prefer crouch stance while engagingContinual fire will be decreasing position error (as a counterweight to decreased visibility of shooting)Lock is now independent from zoom

Major:-> Added new game-mode: Sandbox mode! Set your own rules on enemy HP, resource gain and disable or enable the tower cap!

-> Targeting mode perk removed... Now you can ALWAYS set targeting mode. We also improved the presentation of the perk, it looks a little bit better in the GUI now, and were going to improve it in coming patches as well.

->Added pause button in the Pause menu

Characters:->Sweet passive now lower health regeneration rate on enemies with 50% to make her more viable on long survival runs/5 FoS runs with regenerating enemies

Enemies:->Mutators and Fiskeplaske now give more XP when killed.

Weapons:->Updated client hit feedback, you should now see the damage text of all your pellets for the shotgun

Towers:->Focus tower now always tries to hold the same enemy for as long as possible, also prefers enemies with highest MaxHP->ACP tweaked, it now deals less damage but hits much faster to make it better at killing crowds of small enemies, such as runners, snorkers, walker pups, etc.

Tweaks:->Showing players resources in the party-list ingame->New localization added: Japanese->Now the game starts with the language you have steam set to the first time you start it->Set lifetime on all projectiles so that they die if not hitting anything after a while

Bugfixes:->Slow field mine mesh on tower is now properly visible on the tower->Balista projectiles doesn't slip through tower bases anymore->Hit effect Secondary fire on sniper should now be more visible->Mines don't randomly explode on client anymore. Lol sorry about that->Correct detection for gamepad when shutting down pause-menu (before the glyphs was showing keyboard glyps untill a button was pressed)->You get correct highlight when aiming on level 3 focus-tower now

The Raven  Patch #1===========================================- Fixed starting and dependency problems under Linux - Infinite loop while walking is now cancelled after a few seconds - Adventurer points fixed (Achievements Advanced Detective and Master Detective are now reachable) - Crash when pressing the analog stick fix - Black screens after changing scenes are fixed - [STEAM] If Steamworks API doesnt work the game still runs (mainly a problem with Linux) - [STEAM] Auto saves work now correctly - [STEAM] Crime Scene Investigator Achievement fixed - [A03] Axe wont disappear anymore - [A03] Book from the first scene will no longer be on the floor if it has been picked up before

Added- 3 new highlights packages. Daytona, Kentucky and New Hampshire.- Player name now appears on windscreen of career car.

Updated- Paint booth interface.- Fuel and Tyre wear can now be set independently.- Laps led added to results screen.- Ghosting of cars now takes into consideration distance from player.- Voice chat now has a default key assigned.- High Texture quality now only gives the player high resolution liveries, Ultra gives all cars high resolution liveries.- Audio mix for speech changed.

Fixed- Changes to sponsors that require consecutive wins.- Tutorial fix to use 2013 cars.- Invalid lap time penalties on Sonoma.- Tyre blowouts have an increased detrimental effect to handling.- Pitstop repairs now actually repair.- Headlight and taillight numbers fixed across all texture qualities.- Able to join a multiplayer game from an invite before pressing start.